Witcher 2 is like a fine scotch...

[beezybates]

Witcher 2 is like a fine scotch...

Stay a while and listen..

I purchased Witcher 2 at release. I played through the first chapter very quickly, not paying much attention to detail, not paying attention to dialog. Before long I was clueless as to what was going on and getting bored because I was rushing everything. Also finding it difficult and dieing often because I didn't take the time to master the fighting mechanics. Get quest, do quest. Get quest....do quest. Simple put, I quit playing and did not touched it again up until two days ago.

Why on God's green Earth did I allow myself to do this? Why did I rush it, and more importantly, why did I quit?

I started it up again, now with the update. I was anxious to start and try again. But this time going in with the right mentality. Stop and smell the roses. Look. Listen. Concentrate on the characters and my surrounding. I took my time and it only took minutes for me to realize what I had been missing this whole time. I had been playing...incorrectly.

The world was the most beautiful in any game I had ever seen. So real. So mature. So detailed.
The story, so rich, so deep. It engulfed me, drawing me in, constantly wanting more and more. The characters so interesting.
This is simply the best RPG I have ever played. In my life? Very possibly. I'll know even more in the next weeks to come.

If there is one piece of advice I can give people playing Witcher for the first time, it's to take it slowly. Pay attention to EVERYTHING. Look at your environments and let the world take you in. Listen to the story closely. Focus on alchemy and collecting items and inspect every corner of the world. If you don't do these things, you'll likely do what I did. Be clueless and inevitably quit.

It's like a fine scotch. Sip is slowly. Enjoy it. Rushing it is a waste.

 

[not_slimgrin]

Both Witcher games are like this. They aren't high impact experiences. They reward a very deliberate and thoughtful approach. If you're looking for a quick fix, The Witcher games aren't for you.

 

[gregski]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I completely agree. I hope the totally new console audience will get to listen to your advice

 

[gerardfraser]

The game is amazing,I am playing thru again and going even slower then I did before.I do not want to miss a thing.
My first play thru was mind blowing and the second shall be even better.
I am not a scotch man myself but man, I did drink probably 5 24 of beers while playing LOL.

 

[Aaden]

A story-driven game is more enjoyable when paying attention to the story? That's groundbreaking!
Seriously though, I'm glad you've come to like it. A complex game that needs the player to really participate and do and find out stuff on his own and truly explore the world and what it has to offer, has become rare. Usually the player is spoonfed, nowadays. I ocassionally experience this myself when playing older games - I know they're great, but it takes some time to get out of passive-mode and actively challenge the game to show its greatness. Therefore, I don't believe you're the only one who has (or better: had!) that kind of problems with TW2, and I'm really happy for you that you've overcome that barrier and can now truly enjoy this amazing game.


The downside: It might be that you will now find many, many recent games bland, shallow and boring.

 

[Kinley]

The downside: It might be that you will now find many, many recent games bland, shallow and boring.

That can't be more true! After a good Witcher marathon (I do those every now and again, when I have free time) it takes quite a bit of time to get used to other titles... It's just mind-blowing! I play like 5-10 min and just alt+f4, I get bored too quickly...

 

[delict]

words of wisdom.
the same goes for the real world you know.

 

[Corylea.723]

I've been answering questions and helping stuck people here on the forum for nearly four years now. And three-quarters of the questions we get are from people who didn't realize what they were dealing with.

Examples of frequent questions:

1. "I need to talk to Yaevinn, but he's not in the Swamp anymore. Where the heck did he go?"

At the end of the bank job, he told you that he'd be at Vivaldi's if you needed him.

"Wait, I was supposed to LISTEN to the NPC's?"

Um, yeah. It really helps a lot.


2. "I keep trying to kill the Kickimore Queen, and she kills me with one blow! My sword is nearly useless. This is impossible; this game sucks!"

Um, you're not supposed to kill her with your sword. You're supposed to pull the ceiling down on her head.

"How was I supposed to figure that out?"

Geralt thought aloud to himself that the supports looked shaky, like a good Aard would knock them down.

"Wait, I'm supposed to LISTEN when the main character talks to himself?"

Um, yeah. It really helps a lot.


This game repays attention. Oh, does it ever.

 

[beezybates]

Both Witcher games are like this. They aren't high impact experiences. They reward a very deliberate and thoughtful approach. If you're looking for a quick fix, The Witcher games aren't for you.

Exactly this. The "quick fix" that gaming has turned into. The mentality that all games should be playable in 30 minute spans that offer no challenge and simple story, for the very reason that you wouldn't have to pay much attention

I'm afraid this series is going to spoil me. Off the top of my head, no RPG comes close to the depth and detail of the Witcher. Mass Effect? Either way, not many. Not many at all. Luckily I'm hearing the replay value on harder difficulties is second to none and 100% worth it. Ever more so because different choices in chapter 1 send you to completely different area not even seen in the first run through. Amazing.

I feel like I'm playing a favorite book. I'll sure be sad and spoiled when the time has come to put it down.

 

[GuyNwah]

I would agree that The Witcher 1 is like a fine Scotch that demands to be savored at leisure. It's a largo-paced story that rewards thoughtful and reflective play.

But in comparison, The Witcher 2 is more urgent. Its pace is more like alla breve, and part of its enjoyment is to be sucked into that sense of urgency.

What it's like is this: My wife's best friend is from a Slovenian family in Ohio. We traveled there for her wedding. (She married a Pole. Sweetest man you could imagine. Worked for Hobart, and got us a Hobart-made KitchenAid for our own wedding.) The day after the wedding, we were visiting with her parents, when her dad brought out a quart bottle of bathtub slivovitz and shot glasses. The ladies prudently declined, leaving him and me with the entire bottle. We spent the whole afternoon killing that bottle and discussing the world's problems with ever increasing certainty and ever decreasing discretion, and they tell me I got on the plane that evening sort of like water seeking its own level. It was the most I have ever enjoyed being really, really drunk.

The gist of it is, TW2's way of involving you in its world is not in any way lacking in complexity or flavor, but it is more urgent and intense, and it demands not to be sipped at leisure but taken in great scary throat-burning gulps.

 

[nightwishnz]

After playing Skyrim going back and playing The Witcher 2 really gave me a Appreciation for good story telling impacting decisions and solid characters it is easily the best game i have played since Dragon Age Origins.I had not played since the 2.0 patch and I am loving the new combat,on a side note just bedded Ves lol.

 

[not_slimgrin]

Lol, that's a great story Guy.

 

[kitadol]

I agree and this is also why I think the Witcher will never be a mega success on consoles